Andrew "O9Man" Lowery has been adventure racing and race directing for over a decade. The adventure racing community in Canada's Maritimes is small, but there are top quality races and racers. Enjoy the blog! And do come out for a race.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Stage 1: 10 km RunStage 1 will feature a rugged trail run through the Crowbar Lake Hiking Trails. While challenging, the scenery is worth the effort! The winning time is expected to be under 1 hour, while a recreational participant should expect about a 2 hour time. This stage starts at 8:00 a.m.

Stage 2: Bushwhack OR Family RaceDo note, it is intended for participants to do one or the other. Or your family can do the family race while you do the bushwhack. Or if you think you're fast enough you could try to do both!

The Bushwhack will feature some ATV trail running and about 1 km of difficult bushwhacking. 1 km isn't to bad is it? Well, you need to hold that bearing! The further you are from your intended target the greater the time penalty. Various flags will be placed on the target trail, racers will report the message on the first flag they see on their return path. Note: You won't know what the message means until you're finished!

The family race will be a fun little adventure for the kids, likely most appropriate for those kids 10 and under. The orienteering course (Stage 3) will be opened for families with kids over 10, or some combination of the two. We can work out what exactly the family race is that morning if the event looks a little too "young" for your family! Parents do note: it is a VERY muddy location. Kids do note: it is a VERY awesome location.

Both the Bushwhack and the Family Race will be at the end of Myra Rd., just past the Crowbar Lake Hiking Trail Parking Lot and both start at 10:30 a.m.

Stage 3: OrienteeringThe orienteering course, starting at 12:00 p.m., will also be held at the end of Myra Rd. in the challenging network of ATV trails. The course will be suitable for beginners, and veterans a like. I'll identify which controls are more difficult. The orienteering will be limited to 3 hrs. That is, I need you out of the woods by 3:00 p.m.! (Otherwise I get worried.)

General Notes:It is hunting season, so wearing orange might be a good idea. To the best of my knowledge, most hunting in this area happens in the much deeper parts of the woods. This is a high traffic ATV area, I can't imagine anyone doing much hunting where we'll be and I have yet to see any hunting stands.

If you only want to do one or two of the stages that's just fine. Let's meet that morning to figure out what you intend to do.

*Do note that the Family Race and the Bushwhack are two different events that will occur at the same time. The Family Race is just for fun, a little something to engage the rest of the house! Any elite racers wishing to participate in the bushwhack and the family event will be accommodated somehow; finish the first stage early and I'll let you do the bushwhack right away!